Denis Pushilin’s statement due to removal of priority right of passage through ports of entry and checkpoints with representatives of OSCE SMM

22.07.2017

Recently, the OSCE mission has been covering information that is more advantageous to the Ukrainian side.

Yesterday, on July 21, 2017, Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE to Ukraine Alexander Hug visited the settlements of Yasinovataya, Krytaya Balka and Vasiliyevka. During this visit, units of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade opened fire twice from 120-mm mortars. In particular, at 12:13 – on the Yasinovataya area and at 14:35 – on the Vasiliyevka area, where at the time the OSCE SMM representatives headed by Hug were working. Besides, the Ukrainian military attempted to intercept and lead away to their territory the unmanned aerial vehicle of the OSCE mission.

These blatant violations of the Minsk agreements by Ukrainian security forces did not provoke a reaction from the leadership of the OSCE SMM. However, today Alexander Hug publicly announced the problems with crossing the checkpoint in Novoazovsk.

Such an approach of the OSCE SMM front office designed to objectively monitor the situation is a matter of concern for the DPR government and suggests a bias against the People’s Republics.

In this regard, we have adopted the necessary measure to carry out entry permit of the OSCE SMM leadership and their patrols through checkpoints and ports of entry on a general basis, without any priority right of passage.

Denis Pushilin, Chairman of the DPR People’s Council, Permanent Representative of the DPR to the peace talks in Minsk